Rousseau Social Contract
The French Revolution started in 1789 due to discontent among the masses of France that were overlooked and abused despite constituting the majority of the population. Following various reforms, like the introduction of excessive tax rates, people started questioning the authority of the king up to the point that they rejected his divine right to rule and believed that he could only rule through consent. The concept of Social Contract, which was introduced to the people of France by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1762, fostered this idea that prompted the people to take action to have more participation in matters of affairs of the state. This paper researches those concepts of Social Contract and investigates how it influenced the Revolution.
Thomas …show more content…
‘Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen’ adopted his fundamental ideas, terminating the absolute monarchical rule of Louis XVI in France. Arguably, Rousseau’s Contract alluded to a classless, totalitarian rule where the population ruled the state, which could be observed during the Revolution. Rousseau states: “…there is no liberty where any man is above the laws … A free people obeys but it does not serve; it has magistrates but not masters; it obeys nothing but the laws, and thanks to the force of the laws, it does not obey men.” Similarly, the Declaration included some of the following clauses: “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights” (Article 1), which were specified as the rights of liberty, private property, the inviolability of the person, and resistance to oppression (Article 2). All citizens were equal before the law and were to have the right to participate in legislation directly or indirectly (Article 6); no one was to be arrested without a judicial order (Article 7). Freedom of religion (Article 10) and freedom of speech (Article 11) were safeguarded within the bounds of public “order” and “law. Consequently, the notions of Estates and social status were abolished; the king’s rule lost its legitimacy; power transferred to the masses; and, equality was advocated. Emmanuel Sieyès, a disciple of Rousseau who played an important role in the Revolution, declared that there should be a single National Assembly comprised solely of representatives of the Third Estate. He further added, “there cannot be one will as long as we permit three orders,” as if echoing Rousseau. This suggested how Rousseau incited such a large group of people to rise against the absolutist rule of France, and how the
Thomas …show more content…
‘Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen’ adopted his fundamental ideas, terminating the absolute monarchical rule of Louis XVI in France. Arguably, Rousseau’s Contract alluded to a classless, totalitarian rule where the population ruled the state, which could be observed during the Revolution. Rousseau states: “…there is no liberty where any man is above the laws … A free people obeys but it does not serve; it has magistrates but not masters; it obeys nothing but the laws, and thanks to the force of the laws, it does not obey men.” Similarly, the Declaration included some of the following clauses: “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights” (Article 1), which were specified as the rights of liberty, private property, the inviolability of the person, and resistance to oppression (Article 2). All citizens were equal before the law and were to have the right to participate in legislation directly or indirectly (Article 6); no one was to be arrested without a judicial order (Article 7). Freedom of religion (Article 10) and freedom of speech (Article 11) were safeguarded within the bounds of public “order” and “law. Consequently, the notions of Estates and social status were abolished; the king’s rule lost its legitimacy; power transferred to the masses; and, equality was advocated. Emmanuel Sieyès, a disciple of Rousseau who played an important role in the Revolution, declared that there should be a single National Assembly comprised solely of representatives of the Third Estate. He further added, “there cannot be one will as long as we permit three orders,” as if echoing Rousseau. This suggested how Rousseau incited such a large group of people to rise against the absolutist rule of France, and how the